No Matter What
by morgana07
Summary: As Dean & Garth search for Sam and Becky, Dean's reminded of what being a furious big brother means when they find them & he finds more than he expected. Furious/big brother!Dean / Upset/hurt!Sam Will have spoilers for 07/08.


**No Matter What**

**Summary: **_Dean and Garth go looking for Sam and Becky but Dean finds a bit more than he was expecting and is reminded of what being Sam's big brother really means to him. Angry/big brother!Dean / Hurt/tense/freaked out!Sam. Tagged for 07x08, Season 7, Time for a Wedding so will contain some spoilers._

**Spoilers/Warnings: **_ It will have spoilers for 07x08. I'm also rating this one a big stronger for language and other stuff. Nothing serious or truly shown…just hinted at in past cases._

**Tags: **_Tagged to 07x08, Season 7, Time For A Wedding._

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own the boys or anything to do with the show. This is written for fun and meant to be enjoyed as such._

**Author Note: **_Okay, I swear this is the last tag for this episode…unless I think of something else. To be honest, this one came after I read a review for 'Fractured Lives'. I never thought I'd write Garth, lol. Enjoy!_

"You know, Bobby warned me that you could be…intense is a good word but…has he ever seen you well and truly pissed off?"

The short and very skinny man asked curiously while easily assembling a shotgun in the front seat of the car he found himself driving in, shrugging after a couple moments of getting no reply.

Garth hadn't questioned the call from Bobby Singer that asked him to go meet up with a pal of his who needed some temporary help. Nope, when a legendary hunter like Bobby Singer called asking for help a hunter like Garth knew not to refuse.

Very bright and good at what he did despite what others in the field thought since he was basically nothing but a short skinny nerd, Garth knew enough to know about the Winchester brothers so being teamed with Dean Winchester while they figured out both what was killing people in the town and also what the hell was wrong with his younger brother was a thrill for him. He just seriously hadn't counted on the man's burning intensity especially after the pieces began falling into place.

Dean's fingers were tight on the steering wheel of the car that he still hated but right then he hated something else more and wouldn't be able to think clearly or even breath right until he got to where he and Garth were heading.

He'd been angry the last day or so, ever since his younger brother dropped it on him in a Las Vegas wedding chapel that he was getting married. The whole marriage part hadn't angered him…no, that had stunned him into a rare silence. What had made Dean angry was when he discovered who it was his lovable, sometimes too lovable little brother, was marrying.

Dean accepted that one day he'd have to face this moment but to know that one minute of their Las Vegas vacation his brother had been 'finding himself' in the desert only to have him getting married, it was a bit much. Of course, he also knew that Sam was leery about relationships since he'd had very few that ended well…well, there was Sarah that Dean had liked for his brother but this one had blindsided him.

Of all the people Sam could've announced he was marrying, Becky Rosen was the last person on the planet that Dean expected it to be.

The girl had been annoying to beat all the first time he and Sam had met her. An obsessed Super Fan, she had made it pretty plain that her obsession with Sam knew no bounds so Dean was instantly thinking up reasons that this marriage just could not be happening or on the level…of course that had been when things went bad between the brothers and he supposed he should have just known what had happened since normally Sam wouldn't respond to doubts or his suspicion like that and Becky had just been too clingy for it to have been on the damn level.

After learning that there was a damn Crossroads demon in town, Dean suspected something was up but it wasn't until he and Garth got to the apartment to find it empty of both Sam and Becky but did show some signs that a hunter would pick up as trouble that he felt his blood turning colder.

While Garth went through the place, Dean's eyes noticed things that only someone who had raised and protected Sam would. The left behind jacket and cell phone were his first clue that his brother was in trouble but the final two pieces that sealed it were the several ancient looking bottles that had been tossed in the trash and the piece of the waffle iron with just the tiniest speck of blood on it.

It was the blood that did it for Dean and his temper had been on high from that moment. Finding the address of the cabin where Becky's last tweet had said she and her new 'hubby' were going, he'd already made the decision to probably rip the girl apart if his brother was hurt.

"No wonder Chuck dumped her," he muttered, then made another promise to find that former writer turned Prophet to see just what the hell was going on when he felt a tap on his arm that pointed out that they were nearing the cabin.

Slowing down a little, Dean considered the best way to handle this. If on the one hand, Sam and Becky were really up here to share a romantic, he felt like gagging on that thought, getaway then his brother would be madder yet but Dean knew his brother and Dean knew to follow his gut where Sam was often concerned and right then his gut feeling was screaming at him to move.

Jerking the car to a stop, heated green eyes took in the cabin and noticed that there seemed to be only one room with only real illumination since his stomach seemed to twist much like it had only a few times in his life.

"You want the shotgun or…" Garth came around the car to see the taller man staring at the cabin.

"No," Dean growled, explaining as an afterthought while striding up to the door with only one thought in his mind. "If I have a gun and Sam's hurt I'd shoot her without thinking about it so you keep the…" a sudden sound from inside the cabin made him stop, listen then forget everything he'd been taught about stealth, training, caution and more.

Before the skinny hunter could blink or think of a reply he let out a low yelp but quickly followed Dean in the moment he kicked in the cabin's front door with a single strong blow then could only hope for the best when they tracked the sounds coming from the back of the place.

"Sam!" Dean's voice was deep, sharp and dangerous as he quickly moved through the darkened rooms to find the one with the light to shove the double French doors open with a snarl ready only to feel his stomach drop, his heart flip and his temper soar.

While Dean Winchester might not have been pissed off earlier he quickly became that the second he opened those doors. "_Sonuvabitch_."

Having been to distracted and preoccupied with trying to talk herself into going through with the deal that demon offered her, Becky Rosen had almost decided to try to force Sam to drink this latest potion that would make him hers forever.

The young woman had been in love with Sam Winchester even before learning he really existed as more than just a character in one of Chuck Shirley's books. She'd been obsessed with him and had always dreamed of the day he admitted his love for her.

After finally realizing that just wasn't going to happen, when she'd been approached by her newest BFF with the offer of a potion to make her deepest wish come true, she jumped at it. She'd learned through the books that Sam and Dean always took a trip to Vegas at the same time each year so this year she was determined to be there.

Finding the younger man alone and without his more suspicious brother, she used the first vial of potion and was thrilled when it seemed like it would all work out. Sam fell in love with her, he married her and so she just had to overlook the use of the potion because she knew that once Sam had a chance to get to know her then she wouldn't have to use it…or so she hoped.

At least that was until she ran out of the potion and Sam finally began to come around. Confused, more than a little panicked and uneasy he'd just wanted his brother and that was something Becky couldn't have because she knew if Dean took her Sam away then it was all over for them so she'd had to resort to some slight bodily harm, some minor restraint…which she had to admit seemed to make Sam more upset than what she'd actually done, and nearly agreeing to give her soul to a Demon for twenty years with the man she loved.

"Sam, we were happy and if you'd just take this you'd remember how happy you were with me and…" she was trying reason as she snuggled on the bed next to him while trying not to blush to much that she had Sam tied to her bed in only his T-shirt and boxers while covered with a quilt. "We were so…"

"No, you were happy," Sam shot back, voice tight with suppressed emotion as he struggled against the ropes that bound him tightly to the bed posts by his wrists and ankles. "You drugged me, Becky. You're about to force me to love you and you know that's wrong. You know this demon is killing people. Let me go, let me call Dean and…mhmm!"

The rag she stuffed back in his mouth cut off the rest of his pleas as Becky twisted her long blond hair around her finger in desperate thought. She'd come this far and she still knew that if she just had enough time with Sam that he'd fall for her…even if she might have to keep him tied and gagged for a few weeks.

"No, Dean isn't right. You need me with you, not your brother," she decided then what she needed to do so while trying to ignore how much the young man strained in the ropes or how fearful his eyes were becoming as she uncapped the bottle. "I know you won't drink this for me or drink what I give you so…" Becky paused as if hearing something then was too distracted to care as she began to pour tiny droplets of the potion into the gag. "The potion will go through the rag and you'll absorb it that way or once there's enough in it I can squeeze it but you have to drink it, Sam."

Mind a blur of thoughts while his heart hammered with emotions that he'd nearly forgotten he had, Sam tightened his arms to try to break the ropes only to feel the damn things actually tighten as he could almost taste the liquid soaking through the gag that he couldn't spit out as it was pushed in further and nearly choked him.

Panic coming fast, Sam knew he was alone in this which also brought back other memories of another time he'd been forced to face being drugged, tied and knew his brother couldn't find him. Seeing the doubt in the girl's eyes, he tried to make her see reason with his own gaze when something else drew his attention.

"Sam!"

Sam knew in that moment if he could've cried in relief he would've because the moment he heard his name shouted in that tone he knew he was safe…assuming his brother got past Becky before this damn liquid seeped into his mouth.

Becky hadn't been expecting the sudden interruption and was turning on the bed to push the gag in deeper which would also force the potion out when the glass doors slammed open to reveal a more than furious Dean Winchester.

"_Sonuvabitch_."

Dean had been angry before but he crossed into well beyond pissed the second he found his little brother tied spread eagle on the bed with a blanket thrown over him and a gag deeply embedded in his mouth…a gag that just by Sam's eyes told him had to come out.

"No!" Becky shouted, trying to block the older Winchester's entrance but froze as his green eyes seemed to drill her where she stood. "Please…he loves me…he does…just…"

"Move," this time there was no tone beyond rage in Dean's voice as he glared down, feeling Garth enter the room. "Get her the hell outta here," he ordered, voice ice cold as he locked eyes with Sam and saw what he hadn't in years…not since he and Sam had dealt with those damn Rednecks. "Get her the hell away from him while I cut him loose."

Garth had been considering doing just that from the first moment he peeked into the room to see Sam tied and gagged and feeling the waves of pure hate now coming off the older brother. "Yep, good thing I have the shotgun," he decided, taking a firm grip of Becky and tugging. "Trust me. You won't want to be near him while he does this and you better tell me what you know before he does kill you for this."

Not waiting for the skinny hunter to have full control of the situation, Dean slammed the bedroom doors shut again then lunged for the bed to jerk the gag out with a harsh oath. "Sammy? You okay?" he demanded, feeling the wetness of the gag and recognizing the slight odor as the same as those bottles back in the apartment had had and he felt his anger grow while laying a firm hand on his brother's chest to force direct eye contact. "Sam, answer me. Are you…?" 

He felt the chest under his hand heaving as Sam struggled to control his breathing and a quick look around had Dean moving quickly to a tiny bathroom to grab for a paper cup of clean water, or at least water that he knew hadn't been doused with love potion. "Drink and spit," he ordered, holding a hand under Sam's head to help him lift it so he could take some water into his mouth then turn as much as he could right then and spit it out in case any of the potion had made it into his saliva.

"De'n?" letting his head fall back, Sam felt exhausted, tense, on edge and knew he had to get loose and soon before too many memories crashed in on him. "How…I'm…God, get these offa me…" he tried to twist his wrists violently and felt the firm hand once again settle on his chest. "Please."

"Take it easy, Sammy. I'll have these off in a second," Dean promised tightly, fighting to keep his voice level and not show how much seeing his little brother like this, hearing the shaking in his voice, was affecting him.

Dean had spent too many years with his brother not to know that Sam would respond to his emotions so if Dean showed how upset he was then Sam's fears and uneasiness would triple and he knew his brother was just a few short moments away from the mother of all panic attacks which would be something Sam hadn't had in several years.

Pulling his knife, Dean moved his hand from Sam's chest up to his shoulder to both offer silent support and to keep his straining arm still while he cut the ropes holding Sam's wrists to the damn bedposts. "Easy, Sasquatch. Just stay still while I cut these and you can tell me how the hell a girl half your size and weight got the drop on you to slam you with a waffle iron," he kept his voice light and low while hoping it also sounded calm but he knew when Sam merely tensed again that his mind was slipping back to darker times. "Sam! Look at me!"

"Huh?" the firm, sharp commanding tone made Sam's eyes move on instinct to lock with Dean's and kept them there rather than on what else was happening when he felt the first rope come loose then his other wrist was free but before he could begin to shove up into a sitting position he felt himself pulled straight up and into a hard hug that under recent circumstances he might've resisted but right then he wasn't fully aware of when his shaking arms reached to hold.

Telling himself that it was probably just the massive lump he'd felt on his brother's head and the leftover effects of the damn drug he'd been given that was making Sam almost cling to him like he had years earlier, Dean shifted a hand to card his fingers back through hair that he suddenly realized was long enough to be almost floppy again when he heard the first near sob and knew he needed Sam out of there.

"Shh, just a little bit longer," he murmured, unaware that he'd fallen back to the same tone he'd used on Sam when he'd been a kid and when he'd needed to calm him down after Jess had died or the night he pushed for answers on what wounds his kid brother had gotten from the crazy Benders. "Take this off while I cut…huh," Dean's lips thinned into they nearly vanished when he pulled the quilt off only to see that Sam didn't have his jeans on, just his boxers. "Can I shoot her?" he asked in a voice that was pure lethal big brother.

Ducking his head as if to avoid what he was pretty sure he'd see reflected in Dean's eyes, Sam bit his lip while rubbing his wrists to get the circulation going again and wincing when he noticed the bloody welts that he'd made while trying to free himself. "…Not in…public," he offered softly, recalling another time he'd said that to his furious brother but this time he knew deep down that Dean wasn't kidding. That Becky's actions had pushed Dean past the safe level and right then she was close to being listed in the same category as the Benders or any other non-monster threat. "Dean…"

"Truth, Sam," Dean had looked to find the jeans tossed over a chair and had grabbed them before making short work of the final set of ropes then quickly helped Sam into the jeans while steadying him before helping him move across the room and away from the offending piece of furniture. "How bad?"

"Dean, she's Becky not…" Sam drew off the moment the strong hand that hand been on his arm moved to grip his neck and squeeze lightly and he knew what his brother wanted, no, what he needed to hear. "Not…as bad as them or the other," he admitted slowly then couldn't hide the tremor as he thought of the drug and what little he did remember of the past few days. "Can we just go?" he asked, wanting to be out of this room and knowing that while Dean wasn't fully satisfied yet he'd let it go until they were alone and safe.

Giving another gentle squeeze to his brother's neck, Dean nodded then let his eyes go hard as he stepped out into the living room where Garth had been squeezing Becky for information on their foe. "You hurt him," he lifted a hand to stop her protests even as he felt Sam come up behind him. "You might not think so but that's because you don't know everything about him. You're selfish little games hurt my brother and I think you've read enough of Chuck's stuff to know that isn't a smart thing to do but…you do two things and I might consider not ripping your lungs out," he growled then stalked out of the cabin with Sam following closely and leaving Garth to deal with the Super Fan.

"Yep, intense doesn't cover him when he's pissed," he decided, eyeing the girl with a smile. "So, let's make dinner plans with a demon.

**Twelve hours later:**

Once Becky had filled them in on who the demon was, it hadn't taken the hunters long to handle it…or they would've handled it if Crowley himself hadn't made an appearance and did it for them.

Dean didn't relax fully until he had the annulment papers in his hands and they'd said goodbye to Becky once and for all, though a piece of him would never fully trust that she was gone for good since he understood how obsessions could work.

Garth had gone back to wherever Bobby had found him though not without a hug and some tired but good natured kidding from Sam.

Dean knew his brother was hurt both physically and emotionally from this and that was why he'd been trying not to let Sam's reply to his comment that Sam was grown up to the point that he didn't need his big brother watching out for him all the time hurt too much. Though looking after himself just wasn't ever going to happen for Dean and he knew he'd need to come to some sort of compromise with his brother in that area.

Though right then he was trying to decide what part of his tired still upset brain had been in control when he'd booked them into two double rooms rather than the one they normally shared. He'd blame it on being tired and deciding to try to give Sam space to cope with this latest event even though he knew it was a mistake even before realizing his brother's shower had been running for two hours before finally shutting off only to be replaced by sounds of another type.

Not wanting to watch TV or play with the vibrating bed like he would if Sam was in the room, Dean paced for another twenty minutes before finally throwing in the proverbial towel.

He'd been reaching for the doorknob when he heard the knock on his door, taking a cautious look out the peephole he felt his breath catch even as he was pulling the door open. "Hey," he greeted warily, stepping back to allow Sam to enter. "You okay?"

The question was standard because he knew the kid wasn't just like he hadn't been surprised when Sam pushed for an early stop that night that the first thing he did when alone was hit the shower. What would surprise Dean was if that shower still had any hot water since he knew his brother would have probably scalded himself to try to get the feelings of being tied down or touched by that girl off his skin. He knew that because he'd seen Sam do it before.

"She didn't know," Sam murmured as he slowly came in and sat down on the bottom of the bed farthest from the door…the bed that would've been his had they been sharing a room. "I know she didn't, Dean because Chuck didn't put it all in the books but…when I woke up tied to that bed and realized my jeans were gone and then she gagged me…I…it was just like back then and I knew you couldn't find me and why would you even have looked after what I'd said to you or…"

Standing back by the door to watch Sam closely, Dean noticed the gashes on his wrists hadn't been dressed and were spotting blood but he also noticed the nervous way his brother was twisting his fingers or combing them through his hair like he would as a kid and scared but not wanting their Dad to see it. The final tell for Dean in what he knew would happen was that his brother was wearing one of his old worn hoodies that Dean hadn't seen in awhile.

"I'd always find you because I'd never give up looking for you," Dean finally broke in to the shaking litany that was half apology and half mindless rambling as he slowly crossed to the bed to sit on his with the medical kit that instinct had told him to bring in that night. "Just like before, no matter what, no matter the risk, the danger or who it was I'd never stop looking for you, Sammy," he vowed, letting the full weight of emotion fill his husky voice so that his in shock brother would understand. "Now, let me see your wrists and you can talk if you want."

"It's just the memories that it brought back," though something seemed to be bothering Sam since he stayed still and let his brother clean and dress the gashes without a complaint. He only tensed when Dean went to move the sleeve of the hoodie up to check an abrasion that had been the result of too much hot water and too rough a scrubbing. "She seemed so desperate, Dean. So willing to do whatever it took to make me love her that…when she put that potion on the gag…I just wanted…"

Breaking off when he heard his own voice shake, Sam turned to look at the blank TV screen while fighting to bring his emotions under control but that night it was hard and he kept seeing his memories of being hurt as a teenager to the events with the Benders to finally the absolute fear he'd felt at being unable to free himself or fight the gag in his mouth.

"I'd better let you get some sleep or…" he pushed to his feet too quickly, felt his head buzz and then nearly fell when his knees went out from under him only to have strong hands grip his shoulders in support before he felt that same grip shift to hold loosely while offering the same silent support his older brother always had. "You said that…"

"Being grown up doesn't mean you still don't need your awesome big brother, Sam," Dean told him seriously, voice deep with emotion that he knew he'd never normally let the boy see on him but knowing what Sam needed that night wasn't smirks and one liners about chick flick moments.

Sam needed his big brother the same way he'd needed him as a kid and he'd been scared of the dreams or the monster in his closet or when he was older and running from other types of nightmares.

"You are grown up but that doesn't mean I'll ever fully stop watching your every move or having your back because we're brothers, Sammy. No matter what else, we will always be that and no one can change it," he told him, easing down on Sam's bed and not saying a word when he felt his brother's shaking arm reach around to hold tentatively as if testing to see if Dean would let him do this. "I can't promise to spend more time on myself because you've been my job, my little brother since the moment Mom first brought you home and you will be that until I'm dead and gone…and that's what it'll take for me to let someone hurt you like that again. Okay?"

"Yeah," Sam murmured, events making him tired even as he strained to stay awake to look up at Dean. "Don't like this two room thing," he complained much like he would at ten and fighting sleep. "Don' wanna sleep in case…"

Hearing the tone change and knowing Sam was fast to going out for the night, Dean waited a few more moments to slowly shift his brother until he was lying on the other bed then reached for the blanket off of his bed to cover him with since he could feel the still damp hair and knew the last thing he needed was to have Sam come down with something.

"My mistake, little brother," he replied quietly, keeping his touch light as he carded slightly shaking fingers back through Sam's hair and smiled a little when he heard the mumbled protest much like he would before. "We share a room from now on. Go to sleep, Sam. I have you tonight and I'll keep the monsters away…no matter what."

It was a long ago made promise that Dean had made to his nine year old little brother when he'd still be afraid of the dark and it was the same promise he'd made the night after the Benders when Sam had finally crashed after telling him in broken sobs what he remembered of that ordeal.

Dean knew the same thing would happen this time because this mess had brought back too many of his brother's bad times so he was expecting the nightmares to hit sometime and just hoped he could still keep that promise at least as he moved to sit on his own bed while Sam restlessly tossed until he flopped to his stomach while opening his eyes sleepily.

"Can…I stay in here?" he asked in a tone that was too much like he'd sounded as a kid when frightened or after a fight with their Dad.

"Yeah, you can stay in here, Sammy," Dean replied huskily, leaning over to lightly squeeze Sam's neck as he would when offering support or comfort and then swallowed thickly when he heard the softly whispered reply. "I know, Sam. I still…love you too, little brother," he coughed, realizing how few times Sam had heard those words from anyone in his life. "Go to sleep."

"…bossy…"

A slow smirk came as Dean closed his eyes and he resisted the urge to reply like he would long ago but knew he would before too much longer because this was his little brother and he'd protect him from whatever came… no matter what.

**The End**


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